


Wedding Dress

by storyofeden



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Inspired by Music, Pining Harry Potter, Unrequited Love, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyofeden/pseuds/storyofeden
Summary: The first time Harry pictured her in a wedding dress, they were in an old, worn tent in the middle of Wales. The next time he let himself picture Hermione in a wedding dress, he vomited in the large vase beside Draco’s fireplace.
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Wedding Dress

**Author's Note:**

> Based on 'Marry Me' by Thomas Rhett, along with other songs on this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7FajhNl7EA8swzWiIU57vt?si=gsIJ4oTsR9m1dHXLdtt7vQ 
> 
> As a warning, this does not end with Harry and Hermione riding off into the sunset and living happily ever after. Because life doesn't really go that way, does it?

The first time he pictured her in a wedding dress, they were in an old, worn tent in the middle of Wales. It was below freezing, and their warming charms just weren’t quite enough. Hermione’s bluebell flames were wonderful for light but not the best for heat.

Ron was gone, the evil Horcrux was stuffed away somewhere in Hermione’s trusty bag, and they were huddled together on a ratty old couch under a blanket.

“Do you ever think about the future, Harry?” Hermione asked quietly, picking at a loose thread on the thick quilt.

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I ever think that far ahead, really. Twenty, maybe thirty minutes is about all I can manage.”

“Honestly,” Hermione smacked him lightheartedly. She rolled her eyes like she would have done back in school, but a heaviness still hung around them.

“I suppose I do,” he cleared his throat, his eyes fixed on his hands. “When I was small, I dreamed of a future away from the Dursleys. At one point, I thought of one where I lived at Grimmauld Place with Sirius. At one point, I thought maybe there was a future with Ginny, but…” he waved his hand, indicating their circumstances.

She was quiet for a moment. Then, “in primary school, the other girls would have pretend weddings on the playground. I usually sat on a bench and read a book, but...I watched them sometimes. They looked so happy. I knew it was ridiculous--a group of eight-year-olds dreaming of their wedding, but still...I--I thought about it. At that age, I dreamed of a very ordinary kind of wedding. You know, a white dress. My dad would walk me down the aisle. We’d have roses and dance all night…”

Harry shifted a little. He could see it, he supposed, but that kind of party didn’t really seem like Hermione to him.

“And now?” He murmured. “You may still prefer to have your hands on a book, but it’s been ten years since any of us were that young.”

Hermione smiled, but it was sad. “Over the summer, Mrs. Weasley showed her wedding pictures to me, Ginny, and Fleur one evening. I think you and Ron were out in the shed with Mr. Weasley and Lupin? Anyway, Mrs. Weasley wore this...this beautiful cream-colored dress. And I thought...I thought I might prefer that to just plain white.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “And with my parents gone, well, I thought Mr. Weasley might want to walk me down the aisle. And you and Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys would be there.”

“Hagrid and Professor McGonagall would be sitting in the back row, I think,” Harry chuckled. “Probably drinking too much firewhiskey and swearing that the bloke wasn’t good enough for you.”

“I’m sure they’d all do something wonderful, as well. Perhaps Professor Sprout would provide a load of flowers, and Professor Flitwick would enchant a few to float above us all.”

This, he could certainly imagine. As Hermione continued to dream aloud, Harry was lost in thought.

Hermione would look beautiful in a cream-colored dress. He didn’t know much about dresses, but he could see her in something simple and elegant. Her chestnut curls would be somewhat tamed but would still hang loose and a bit wild down her back. Bluebells. Hermione would carry a bouquet of bluebells and white daisies while more flowers floated above the happy couple. Hagrid would sit at the back of the tent, sobbing loudly. Professor McGonagall would hide her proud tears with sarcastic comments.

Harry closed his eyes as the scene played out in his mind. Mr. Weasley walked Hermione down the aisle, grinning brightly as he handed Hermione off. Harry smiled through the tears of joy as Ron raised his wand and recited the incantation.

“It is my pleasure to present to you Mr. Harry Potter and Mrs. Hermione Granger-Potter--”

“...but I suppose that will never happen now, will it?” Hermione said sadly, interrupting his daydream. She laid her head on his shoulder and huddling closer for warmth. “No use in childish dreams when we don’t know that we’ll make it through tomorrow.”

His chest ached, and he couldn’t even blame the evil locket.

\--

Padma wore white and turquoise dress robes, and Ron couldn’t take his eyes off of his new wife all night. Harry had canceled his plans with Katie Bell so he could take Hermione to the wedding. Hermione wore a light pink bridesmaid’s dress that he thought about for weeks afterward.

Astoria wore a white dress with black lace when she became a Malfoy. Draco smirked and puffed out his chest like he was the luckiest man in the world. Harry danced with Hermione all night because she kept declining McClaggen’s and Zabini’s advances. With Hermione on his arm, Harry was certain he was the luckiest guy that night.

Ginny wore a knee-length white dress and trainers. After the ceremony, she and Oliver went on a celebratory broom ride through the countryside. Ron thought it was a great idea until George made a joke about riding brooms. After the ceremony, Harry got to apparate Hermione to her flat and made sure she got home safe. He didn’t much care about any joke George made.

Parvati wore lavender, and it matched Cormac’s tie. Hannah wore yellow, which clashed horribly with the robes Neville’s grandmother insisted that she wear. Angelina wore a light blue, which led George to don a matching blue earpiece.

Four years. Six weddings. And Hermione was his date to each one. They danced and sipped champagne. He held her hand as she cried tears of joy for the happy couples. They had a standing date for their friends’ ceremonies.

At the seventh wedding, Cho wore silver, and Luna wore gold when Flitwick acted as their bonder in the light summer breeze. Luna insisted on engaging in the muggle tradition of tossing the bouquet to see who would be the next to wed.

“Keeps the nargles away,” she had insisted.

When Hermione caught the bundle of lilies and vervain, her eyes went wide. Harry could only imagine the thoughts running through her brilliant mind. He couldn’t take his eyes off her flushed face or embarrassed smile as the other girls surrounded her. When she turned to look at him, she smiled shyly, and Harry’s pulse picked up. Merlin, but she was the most beautiful witch he’d ever seen.

That night, he let himself hope.

He apparated her home, as he usually did, and she set about making tea the muggle away, as she usually did.

When she put the kettle on the stove, Harry moved towards her. With Draco’s words in his head and Mr. Lovegood’s blood awful drink coursing through his veins, he stepped into her space, backing her up against the counter.

“Harry?” She sounded breathless.

“Hermione…” He murmured, flitting his gaze between her eyes and lips.

“Harry…” She repeated his name. Her eyes were lidded now, her face flushed.

This was going to happen. He was going to do this. Harry Potter was going to kiss Hermione Granger.

The kettle let out a high-pitched whistle, and they jumped apart.

Harry swore. What was he even doing? He’d almost kissed Hermione Granger. His best friend for eleven years. With all they had been through, it felt like they’d been friends for forever. How could he even think about kissing her? About her curves and laugh and warm brown eyes? How could he keep thinking about what she might look like in a simple, cream-colored wedding dress, so unlike any of the robes their friends wore?

He walked out without having tea.

\--

The next time he let himself picture Hermione in a wedding dress, he vomited in the large vase beside Draco’s fireplace.

It was a perfectly ordinary Friday night. The guys were gathered at Draco’s house, drinking and playing poker. Somehow, they all lost to Neville every single time. Ron was convinced Neville cheated.

Blaise stood and stretched. “Who’s up for another round?”

“Not me,” George stood, too. “I’m gonna head out. Angelina hates it when I get home too late. Bloody pregnancy hormones.”

They all chuckled as Draco waved his wand, cleaning up their mess with a flick of his wrist.

George left first, but before Neville could leave, Theo came stumbling through the floo.

“She said yes!” He yelled, looking for all the world like he’d won the lottery. “She actually said yes! I asked her and--”

Harry went still. No.

“Congratulations, mate,” Draco cast a worried glance at Harry before focusing on his friend. “I suppose a toast is in order!”

Ron, Neville, and Blaise nodded and patted Theo on the back, offering their congratulations as they entered Draco’s study.

“She said yes!” He repeated again. “I didn’t even get to set up the fancy proposal like I was going to. I told you the plan, right, Blaise? It was all set for tomorrow night. I had it all planned out. I was going to surprise her with an international portkey to Paris, and we were going to have dinner at that bistro we went to on our first date and--”

“Theo,” Ron laughed. “You gotta breathe.”

“But I came home tonight, and I just...she was sitting there on our old sofa reading a book, and it was like I couldn’t wait anymore. I was in my work robes, and she was wearing sweats and one of my old Slytherin t-shirts, and I just blurted it out.”

Harry couldn’t stop himself from noticing that Theo was no longer in his work clothes, which meant...no, he wasn’t going to continue that thought.

“That’s great, Theo!” Neville raised his glass in salute.

“We’re getting married over the Christmas Holidays, so McGonagal and Hagrid and the rest of the professors can join.”

Harry felt Ron and Draco look at him again as Blaise spoke up. “So your bird agreed to marry you and you...what? Decided to come tell us? Why aren’t you celebrating with her?”

“Round one just finished, fellas,” Theo grinned and stood, finishing his drink. Harry wanted to punch him. “I wanted to celebrate with you guys, but now that I have, I do believe it’s time for round two.”

They followed Theo back to the entryway and watched him go through the floo. He was barely out of sight before the contents of Harry’s stomach came up, and he vomited into the decorative vase next to the fireplace.

Harry thought about the galleons in his vault and how much it would take to buy a ring more impressive than whatever Theo purchased. He thought of the little house he’d purchased in Godric’s Hollow with the perfect space for all of her books. And he thought of their quiet conversation in the tent about her wedding dress and bouquet and Hagrid blubbering in the back of the tent.

Harry vomited again.

\--

When he did actually see her in a wedding dress, they were in a beautiful tent in the Scottish countryside. It was below freezing, but several strong warming charms had been set throughout the area.

Hagrid had finally stopped blubbering, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had a bet going on with George, and Harry was standing in the corner, holding tight to an enchanted flask of firewhiskey.

“Did you ever think we’d get here?” Hermione asked, coming up beside him.

Harry smiled sadly, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I ever think that far ahead, really. Twenty, maybe thirty minutes is about all I can manage.”

That wasn’t true. He’d been planning for a future with her, subconsciously or not, for years now.

She laughed a genuine, melodic laugh and slapped his shoulder. “Oh, Harry.”

He looked out at where Theo, George, and Neville were standing near the bar, laughing at whatever story Neville was recounting. A pang of...something ached through his chest.

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?” He turned to find Hermione looking around at her guests before turning back to him.

He nodded. It was. The ceremony nearly had Harry in tears, pride the only thing stopping him from fleeing. Bluebells and daisies floated above them. Hermione wore an elegant cream-colored dress. Mr. Weasley walked her down the aisle to place her hand in Theo’s.

Harry took a long pull from his flask as Theo waved Hermione over for a dance.

Mr. Weasley hadn’t been the only one to give her away that day.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me over on tumblr! I'm storyof-eden


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